Ugly Alert / Bravo My life - if you're into dailies

I've just caught the "dailies" bug and I'm not talking about contact lenses. I've watched like maybe 3 korean dailies in my not-so-short memory...the first is Pure 19 which starred Gu Hye Sun in her pre-BBF days where she was actually adorable and I actually liked her character. Everything she starred in post BBF didn't appeal to me. Anyway, that was an accident - I bought the VCD not realizing it was only part I (about 50 episodes). Silly me. I never made it past that though I did watch edited scenes of her and So Ji-suk as a happily married couple for the last 20 episodes maybe.

Next is I Live In Cheong Dam Dong, which I gobbled up within 2 weeks I believe...yup...all 170 episodes of it. And I join many others in recommending this sweet gem. Anyway, blinded by my love for Im Joo Hwan whom I adore beyond words since he charmed my socks off in Tamra, the island, I downloaded the first few episodes of Ugly Alert (previously known as Bravo My Life) just to check out his first drama post-army. And just like that, I was hooked.

The set up is simple enough : It's about a boy - Kong JunSu (Im Ju Hwan)who becomes head of the family to two siblings after his father (An Nae Sang) married their mother. It's not much of a spoiler to say that their parents pass away one after another leaving a young Jun Su to fend for his step sister, Jin Joo and step-brother, Hyun-suk. There's also a new little sister, Na Ri. JunSu admires his step mother, who's kind and loving to him and vows to take care of his family at any cost. In fact, he seems to have inherited more of his stepmum's spirit than his swindler-kind-but-good-for-nothing dad who died first and left the family deep in debts.

Step mum of JunSu (and baby Nari)- most influential figure in his life

JunSu is always trying hard to win over the affections of his step-siblings. Jin Joo (Kang Byul - she from Mandate of Heaven....*mini squee*) is the cold-exterior soft-interior kinda girl who's always giving JunSu grudging acknowledgements and harsh words. Hyun-suk (Choi Tae-Jun) is quiet but smart, and more willing to accept his step brother. During his adolescent years, Hyun-suk got into a fight and accidentally killed a classmate. JunSu took the fall for him and went to prison, not breathing a word to anyone about the truth.

And the meat of the story, for me anyway, is what happens after JunSu is released from prison 10 years later. How he yearns for his family but they kept him at arm's length. They're not cruel and heartless, but they do NOT know the truth and it breaks my heart to see JunSu attempting to reach out to them time and again. The interactions between the siblings are really intense - heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time. I'm almost always crying at their scenes. I love this kind of siblings' bond.

JunSu promises to stay away for their sake but since this is a drama were talking about - everyone is linked to one another whether they like it or not. In particular we're introduced to a Do-hee, an independent girl who employs JunSu at her shop. Do-hee (Kang So-ra) is competent and comes with a family of baggage of her own. I'm less interested in her family's troubles but there is an interesting thread I'm looking forward to. JunSu's first love, Jung Hee (Yoon Son Ha) married Do-hee's dad. Jung-hee is not a gold-digger kind of person and she seems genuinely in love with her dad. She also tries hard to win over Do-hee who rebuffs her at every turn.



 

NaRi in the trolley

Adult Hyun-suk is a principled Prosecutor (I wonder what happens when he realizes the truth) and JinJoo gave up her studies to support the family after JunSu was imprisoned. She's currently a hairdresser. She also has a love line with another cast I love, Hyun Woo (whom I love from ILICDD) who plays Kang Chul-soo. He clearly crushes on her that it's cute. He's also studying hard for exams for the sake of a pushy mother who can't accept being bankrupt. Mum is banking on him to succeed and reclaim their cushier lifestyle.

 

Adult NaRi (Kim Sul Hyun) is a high school girl who dreams of becoming a star. She has the best relationship with JunSu and in fact keeps in contact with him.

Right now, post-prison JunSu has two major "diseases". He can't take rides (e.g bus, car, etc) and he's hypersensitive to women. Do-Hee takes it upon herself to cure him of his inflictions and I'm loving every moment of JunSu trying to stop himself from recoiling everytime he's touched. LOL. It's really an interesting disease. Convenient too, for skinship. Hihi.

Well, I can't guarantee it's gonna be good throughout, it's slated for 120 episodes anyway, but I'm watching it religiously everyday. Helps that it's showing 5 days a week with a running time of about 40 minutes per episode too. Just thought that this is a good show for those who love family dramas. I've pretty much given up on YTBLSS...only staying for Jo Jung-suk and Breadman's scenes.

And because I could - Park-kyu! A reminder of  awesome Im Joo Hwan in Tamra.